Fast City: Cafe
Directed by: Filbert David Tejalaksana (3035945699)
Theme and Subject Matter
Fast city signifies how Hong Kong has been gradually coming closer and closer to the dystopian city that has appeared with Hong Kong as referenced in many movies such as the recent Ten Years, Blade Runner (1982) and Ghost in the Shell (2017). This theme takes into irony the slowness and calmness of the coffee industry in Hong Kong, opposing the fast and high turnover rates in the f&b industry in HK. This statement is shown in the short clip with much of the video being heavily edited in terms of its speed and its irony with clips from outside of the cafe itself.
The setting itself is a cafe named CLEAN. This cafe is located in Sheung Wan; closer walk from Sai Ying Pun station. The cafe is an ecofriendly and socially aware f&b service, having its original location in Sheung Wan, also supplying environmentally sensitive and sustainable laundry service. The cafe itself is also honestly sells quality coffee with lowish price (25 HKD, with a cup. 20 HKD without). It is manned by 2 baristas, the owner of the cafe usually being one of them. They would brew fresh coffee and would occasionally come out and conserve with the customers. I, myself, was lucky enough to meet the owner, and her eco-friendly and waste-reducing thought-processes really shows. This short video will serve to slow down those in this fast-paced society which is Hong Kong and help them be in the present. Be in the “now”.
Pre-production research
Video will be shot in a “Wes Anderson”-style following the recent trends in TikTok and many other social medias. The idea actually came to me when I visit the shooting site and was surprised of the vintage and aged look that the cafe had. I thought a surrealistic and dreamy video would match the place very well. Most of my understanding of Wes Anderson’s film making technique comes from an article by Zoe Morgan, Curzon.
First thing to consider with “Wes Andeson”-style is its framing. The framing of each shot takes symmetry into consideration. The use of symmetry and straight lines are integral to the look and compositions. It was critical that the camera aligns with the subject perfectly parallel and level, so a tripod or stabilizing equipment would be helpful. This effect or composition technique is actually called planimetric composition. It is referred as “technique of making backgrounds seem flat in contrast to central figures in the foreground.” This effect makes the film feel more like a film. As in it takes into account that the film is fake, emphasizing on its detachment to reality.
A fish-eye filter could also be used to slightly “fake” the look of broad field of view and give a surrealistic and detachment to the perspective of the shots. Be mindful of the intensity of the effect and use it sparingly. Another important detail to keep in mind is the aspect ratio of the final film. The most common aspect ratio for this style is 16:9. Additional framing can be done in post-production by cropping those unwanted details in the mise en scène to the aspect ratio.
In terms of color grading, it is ideal to reduce highlights and shadow, while increasing the color temperature to be in the warmer side. This can be done by adjusting the white balance settings on the camera, or postproduction color grading. Wes Andeson also often portrays compositions with red-cyan or orange-teal color scheme, so incorporating those colors will help with the simulation.
Production and Reflection
The production was actually pretty simple. The shots were to be according to the specifications mentioned above. One thing that was unplanned for during the shot is that there was a private event in the cafe itself on 12 to 15 May, so shooting in the cafe branch I originally intended to film was impossible. The original location I wanted to shoot the video at is in Tsim Sha Tsui. This location was actually more interesting with the cafe being one of the only cafes in HK which is unmanned. The cafe is fully automated in terms of service, but a barista stands by at the back to brew coffee, hidden from the customers. Moreover, I regret that I do not have a gimbal, which would be very useful in recording most of these clips with high stability. I managed to fake the camera’s stability cropping the outside and using Da Vinci Resolve’s auto-stabilizer (it crops some of the clips and tracking an object in the frame). Enjoy the film!
References
Morgan, Zoë. “Unpacking Wes Anderson’s Cinematic Style.” Curzon, 7 Oct. 2021, www.curzon.com/journal/unpacking-wes-anderson-s-cinematic-style/.
Filbert David Tejalaksana (3035945699)